Derek Gray, Director of Operations for Press Data Ltd, has written to enquire if any of our members would be interested in a part-time position with Scotland’s largest media monitoring company?  Press Data are looking for someone proficient in the Welsh language to assist with some of their press and broadcast monitoring requirements. This would involve engaging with a variety of Welsh language media, and feeding back relevant information to their Edinburgh-based team.  There is a possibility that the work could be undertaken from home after an initial period, and they envisage that this position will require around 10-12 working hours per week spread across Monday-Friday. Full training will of course be given.  Reply direct to Derek at 9-10 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, EH2 2AF, telephone 0131 718 6587, or e-mail derek.gray@pressdata.co.uk.

John Evans sent this e-mail…

I’m sure you remember the TV sketch about the creation of the Welsh Assembly … “Welcome to the Welsh Assembly… we’re going to have a vote on the nuclear deterrent, but first of all there’s a nice policeman here to talk to us about road safety …”!

Anyway, the Welsh Assembly now has a rugby team and will play the Scottish Parliament on the morning of the Scotland v Wales game.  This is a parliamentary event where ‘SNP’ stands for ‘Sorry,  No Props’, ‘Brexit Article 50’ is a line-out call, and a ‘reshuffle’ is a back row move. (I had others but wasn’t allowed to use anybody’s name!) We even have a Welsh referee in the shape of Hywel Williams (our committee man himself).

If you would like to pull on the boots again and play in a very gentle game in the name of the Welsh Diaspora (even if you have a tenuous Cambrian connection) let me know and we’ll add you to the squad.  I hope you can make it. I’ve sent this to those of you who remain in exile or those who may be up for the international.  Please let others know – Morlais – allwch chi hal i Gwyndaf hefyd?

Ymlaen!

You can contact John via ewsccd@gmail.com

Having been passed the information by a friend, Martin and Myra enjoyed a recent Radio 4 programme in which poet Mab Jones explored the concept of hiraeth in the poetry of Wales and further afield. It’s still available on BBC iPlayer Radio at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b083m307 until early January, and as an MP3 download at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04kk8mg.

Martin later discovered that one of the interviewees, Pamela Petro, has written an amusing blog series “Hiraeth for beginners”, the individual blogs of which are linked here.

And he found that the concept of hiraeth isn’t limited to Wales – see http://tinyurl.com/jxr48hs.